Earthtime

Nurture in nature

Every child should have the opportunity to play and learn outside, to enhance their lives and create a sense of wonder for nature and the environment. We hope that anyone attending Earthtime’s events and activities has the opportunity to connect with nature and feel more of a desire to protect it.

Earthtime’s activities include:

  • Forest School nursery and school age childcare provision
  • Pop up activities for children and families in public parks
  • Outdoor learning and Forest School for schools, small groups and individual children
  • Forest School Leader training (FOLA)
  • Outdoor children’s parties
  • Events like our annual Elf and Fairy Fair
Adult and child at a table making craft from sticks.

Donate

Thank you for helping us to keep our community activities free or low cost to families. A small gift of £3 can make a big difference to a family. Please click the DONATE button to show your support.

Childcare

Earthtime’s Forest School Nursery provides:

  • Early learning and childcare (age 2 to school age)
  • Out of school hours care for school age children
  • Holiday care for school age children

Community

Earthtime’s work in communities includes:

  • Forest Schools programmes in schools with groups and on a 1:1 basis
  • Parent and child activity groups in public parks (Waddle Toddle and Nature Play)
  • Walks for pregnant women and their families (Pregnancy Pathways)
  • Events run by Earthtime or attended by Earthtime
  • Training (training courses run by Earthtime

Our Mission and Vision

Four children balancing on a rope.

Our Mission, Vision and Values

Our Vision

A community in which every child is given the opportunity to play and learn outside, to
enhance their lives and create a sense of wonder for nature and the environment.

Our Mission

To be the lead provider for early years’ outdoor environmental education and become a
sustainable organisation that supports a zero waste society.

Our Values

Provide high quality care and education to all children that we support in our outdoor
nursery and all other activities that we provide.
Strive to be a zero waste organisation.
Maintain our commitment to be an open and ethical organisation.
Support staff and volunteers to develop their potential.

Child Led Play

Our child led approach puts children in charge of their own learning through discovery. Children have the opportunity to get creative with our resources and materials on their own terms. With simple materials like tyres, children are building, using them as boots or rolling them down a hill. Pine cones, leaves, sticks and pebbles are perfect for little fingers to rummage in, feel textures and engage the senses.

Forest School

Earthtime provides outdoor learning through Forest School programmes for schools across Moray, following the principles and ethos of the Forest Schools Association.  The benefits of Forest School are holistic and they transfer to all other areas of the learners’ lives, improving behaviour and performance and planting the seed for a love of the outdoors from an early age.

Forest & Outdoor Learning Award

The Forest and Outdoor Learning Award (FOLA) is tailored to the Scottish curriculum and is a Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) accredited qualification. Earthtime is an approved Assessment Centre to deliver the award with Newbattle Abbey College as the awarding body.

Our services

What We Do

Earthtime’s core social purpose is to improve lives and outcomes for families and children in Moray through spending time outside in nature – exploring, protecting, enhancing and enjoying the natural environment. Our ethos is based on one of nurturing and encouraging inclusive, child-led participation in play and nature based learning activities. Earthtime aims to develop stronger family bonds, to increase self-esteem and confidence for both children and their parents or carers to build more resilient and stronger communities.

Learn how to get involved

If you’d like to keep up to date with all the ways to get involved with Earthtime by becoming a member, volunteering with us, making a donation, training with us, supporting our work or attending one of our events, activities or childcare services, please sign up to our newsletter to be among the first to know about all of our opportunities to get involved.

We often comment on the weather, the birds and insects around and the flowers and plants we can find, but it's led by the children. They are completely free to explore each activity in their own time, and however they wish to engage (or not) is completely fine. It's really lovely to see how children of all different ages enjoy the different games, books, toys, activities and being outdoors and free to run around.

Caitlin’s feedback on Waddle Toddle

My daughter has gained immense resilience while being at Earthtime. She’s confident in her own strengths and capabilities which is down to staff supporting her to push herself.

Julia’s feedback on Earthtime’s Nursery School

I love it. I don’t really like school so Earthtime is way better. I’m good at the games here.

Olly’s feedback on Earthtime’s Forest School sessions at his school

Funding Partners & Accreditations

Find out more about our nursery and  school age childcare